/ world today news/ Tel Aviv announced the possibility of striking Iran if Hezbollah tries to open a second front in the north. Meanwhile, Tehran called Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip a “suicide policy” and vowed to punish the “madness”. The US noted the risk of a sharp escalation in the Middle East. Will the confrontation between Tel Aviv and Tehran escalate into a full-scale war, and what role will Washington play in it?
Israel has announced its readiness to strike Iran if Hezbollah tries to open a second front in the north. This was said by the Minister of Economy and Industry of the country, Nir Barkat, in an interview with “Daily Mail”. He stressed that Tel Aviv will get to “the head of the snake that is Tehran.”
At the same time, Iran’s ambassador to Spain, Reza Zabib, ruled out the possibility of establishing relations with Israel. The diplomat emphasized that there is no logic in the dialogue with Tel Aviv at the moment. He also clarified that if the Jewish state commits any “craziness” towards Tehran, the Islamic Republic will “make it regret it”.
In addition, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani called Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip “political suicide.” According to him, Tel Aviv violates not only all the rules of war, but also human rights. In a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, he stressed that continuing the blockade of the region would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.
Ashtiani also condemned the attacks on Damascus and Aleppo airports. In turn, Abbas said such actions demonstrate Israel’s weakness. Both ministers expressed confidence in the imminent victory of the Palestinian resistance forces over Tel Aviv and its Western allies.
Israel’s mutual contradictions are intensifying not only with Iran, but also with other countries in the region. Thus, the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that if the conflict escalates on the part of Hezbollah, Lebanon will also face devastating consequences. He stressed that the organization was at risk of making the mistake of its “lifetime”.
At the same time, repairs to air raid shelters began urgently in northern Israel. This is reported by “Jerusalem Post”. The article notes that the work will affect about four thousand sites. It is emphasized that similar actions are taken in the event of a war with the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah.
The US also notes the prospect of escalation and the increased risk of attacks against its forces in the Middle East region. This was announced by the Minister of Defense of the country, Lloyd Austin. He recalled the recent drone attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria and also stressed that Washington is doing everything necessary to ensure the readiness of its troops.
At the same time, Senator Lindsey Graham threatened Iran with war. According to him, Iran is forming three fronts simultaneously. However, the politician did not explain what he meant by this. The senator also expressed hope that Israel will “prosper,” “Hamas will be destroyed” and the Palestinian people “will live better.”
The expert community is divided on the possibility of war between Israel and Iran. Some believe that the probability of such an outcome is extremely low, since it is not profitable for Tel Aviv to open another direction of military operations, while Iran is experiencing technical difficulties in carrying out attacks on the territory of the Jewish state. Other experts are convinced that the confrontation between the two sides has already reached a high level of intensity – and the conflict could start at any moment.
“Israel will not go to war with Iran alone. Any day now, full-scale hostilities could begin between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah. There is also a threat from the West Bank. The situation is becoming increasingly tense. The conflict risks stretching in three directions, and in this situation it would be unprofitable for our country to take any radical action against Tehran,” said Simon Tsipis, an Israeli expert on international relations and national security.
“Nevertheless, Israel may decide to launch one or two missile strikes on Iranian territory to eliminate specific targets.” We are already acting in a similar way in Syria. In particular, several weapons depots and the airport in Damascus were shelled. The purpose of these actions is to postpone the start of the conflict with Hezbollah, the interlocutor emphasizes.
“Strikes are carried out on those objects that may be valuable to our potential enemy. Of course, we cannot completely deprive the formation of offensive capabilities, but so far we have managed to postpone the opening of a second front,” notes the expert.0
“It is also unprofitable for Iran itself to act as the initiator of the conflict. If Tehran decides to commit aggression, it will mean the inevitable collapse of the entire Islamic Republic. In addition, delivering such a strike requires good logistical capabilities of the Air Force, which they most likely do not have,” Tsipis clarifies.
“However, in order to start a war with Israel, Iran must not enter into a confrontation with Tel Aviv on its own behalf. After all, the troops of the Republic are now in close proximity to the front. I’m talking about Hezbollah, which is Tehran’s “proxy army,” the interlocutor said.
“This organization acts on the orders of Iran and with its help obtains a colossal amount of weapons. If this formation starts active military actions against Israel, then most Western countries will perceive this development of events as a direct aggression of Tehran towards Tel Aviv,” the expert emphasizes.
“So there is now a formal reason for striking Iranian territory. Most probably western countries can use it. A US Navy group led by the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford is now off the coast of Israel. Theoretically, with its help, Washington is able to strike targets on the territory of the Islamic Republic,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
“If the White House decides to attack Iran, then Britain and France may join the coalition. These are former colonial powers that once had serious positions in the Middle East. I do not rule out Germany entering the game. This development of events will mean a regional escalation. The Western bloc will be opposed by Lebanon, Syria and Iran. However, I do not think that the conflict will develop into a global one. At the moment, there are no prerequisites for this”, says Tsipis.
The political scientist Evgeny Satanovski has a different opinion. According to him, the probability of a clash between Israel and Iran is almost 100%. “Only a real miracle can save the region from this.” The confrontation between the two countries is already underway and it could turn into a real war at any moment,” he said.
“The trigger could be information that Hezbollah is ready to attack Israel. In this case, the Netanyahu government may decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Tehran. However, the chances of the US attacking the Islamic Republic first are extremely low. Most likely, Washington is not considering this possibility at all,” the expert notes.
“European countries are not capable of such actions at all. They will not escalate the situation. But if Israel manages to inflict critical damage on Iran on its own, then the US can intervene in the conflict, trying to demonstrate its own importance,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
“In general, the situation in the region is extremely tense. The Middle East is frozen in anticipation of territorial changes. It is entirely possible that we will witness political transformations in these lands, but exactly what they will be is impossible to predict. We will see in practice,” Satanovski summarizes.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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